DURHAM, N.C. – The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced the preseason regional rankings this afternoon, with the Duke men’s cross country team landing at No.8 in the Southeast Region.

NC State garnered the top spot in the region after placing third at the regional championship meet a year ago. Virginia, last year’s runner-up in the team competition, remains in the No. 2 position on the preseason poll. North Carolina, ranking fourth, rounds out the top-five appearances for ACC teams, while No. 6 Virginia Tech, No. 7 Louisville, No. 12 Wake Forest and No. 15 Clemson also represent the conference in the top 15 of the region. Outside of the Southeast Region, Notre Dame appears at No. 7 in the Great Lakes Region, while Syracuse and Florida State own the top rankings in the Northeast and South, respectively. Boston College also earned the No. 15 spot in the Northeast Region, and No. 9 Georgia Tech joins Florida State in the South Region rankings.

At last season’s Southeast Region Championship, the Blue Devils placed eighth out of 35 teams. Duke looks to develop a young team, as the Blue Devils graduated five of the seven competitors from last season’s Southeast Region Championship team.

The men’s cross country squad opens competition on Friday, Aug. 29, traveling to Charlottesville, Va., for the Virginia Duals. The event is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.